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15 Important Guest Signals - Section Six:
Getting Orders from Bar and Restaurant Guests

6. "Closed for Dinner"

How many times have we been asked for a menu, only to be told that they're not hungry when we go back to collect the menus and get the order? Enough to know that we need to dig a little deeper, quickly and politely without prying too much. Find out if they had a question about the menu or maybe what they were hungry for. Why aren't they ordering? This helps you keep the potential sale alive while collecting valuable feedback for the Restaurant or Bar. Report your findings to the manager whenever necessary. Better changes can be made when we need them when we get observations from our guests.

We all know a closed menu, pushed aside, is the readiness indicator - but if you're not seeing it after a few minutes or so, it's always wise to swing by for a lengthier chat. Perhaps the menu is confusing or too large for them? Maybe they didn't hear you when you let them know the specials when you first greeted them and handed out their menus? The menu boards surrounding the bar and restaurant may be too far away for them to read or they're smudged?

You can secure a faster, more concise and upsold order on YOUR terms when you engage the guest and steer their selection while accommodating their tastes and wishes. If they're waiting on you, you're now operating on a time deficit that they've bench marked. Also, remember, a dirty, weathered or spotty menu is unappetizing to say the least! No one will order food from a place that can't even keep their menus clean! "What does it look like where they're making my food?!" Clean your menus and keep them current. Change them regularly and have a system to collect, store and rotate them by time of day.